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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — a break
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com